things we eat and drink, at home and out and about
Pine nuts are very popular in the UK, but I am not really sure that many people know where they come from and how they’re prepared before you can eat them.
Here I’ll share what I know about pine nuts, including some pictures that I hope will help to illustrate this somewhat obscure topic.
Continue reading “Foraging, III: pine nuts”
This sudden heatwave (as in, it feels like it came from nowhere, not that it has not been forecast and told about in excitement, way before it was here) has me looking through the window, the body peeking out into the street to see who’s around at this late hour of the afternoon. Some call it evening, but for me evening starts when it’s fully dark. So, afternoon.
And this early spring warmth also has a strange effect on me. Suddenly, I’m not here and now; I’m somewhere else, many years ago. I can’t help it!
Continue reading “Stone fruits and the cycle of life”
This is a generic recipe for cooking beans in a pressure cooker, which you can adapt to any cuisine, although I typically use it for Mexican-inspired beans, i.e. frijoles. I think it produces similar results to the Brasilian style of cooking beans, except they don’t add chillis (I think!). Some stews in Spain (potajes) could be cooked like this too, but you would add other veggies to the mix and change slightly the spices (paprika instead of chilli, for example). So as you can see, it’s a fairly generic recipe!
There are other ways of cooking this which are more elaborate, in which you cook the onions and garlic separately and add them after cooking the beans… but I don’t have time for that during the week; this is a fast and one pot recipe! The only thing you need to prepare ahead of time is soaking the beans the day before.
Continue reading “Bean stew in the pressure cooker”
I had the chance to visit an exhibition about the Llibre de Sent Soví at the old University of Valencia buildings in the centre of the city.
The Llibre de Sent Soví is the oldest known manuscript recipe book in Catalan. Although the surviving copies are dated circa the 15th century, the original is thought to have been written around 1324, so this exhibition is to celebrate its 750th anniversary. Happy birthday, dear old book!
Continue reading “Exhibition on the “Llibre de Sent Soví”, Valencia”
I went to the bakery the day after I found myself immersed in the Saint Blaise’s celebrations vortex, and I saw a sort of colourful bun on the shelves behind the baker. I asked what they were, and she said that it was their own take on Saint Blaise’s buns!
Continue reading “More takes on Saint Blaise’s celebrations”